Press Releases
Ryan: $36,000 in Illinois FIRST Projects for East Central Illinois
SPRINGFIELD -- Governor George H. Ryan announced today that he is releasing $36,000 in Illinois FIRST funding for projects in East Central Illinois, including $25,000 to the Champaign Park District to construct a workers memorial in Dodds Park.
The memorial will acknowledge those people who, in the course of their work, have lost their lives and will serve to inform employees of the inherent dangers in all types of work. Construction drawings for the project are being prepared by Parkland College faculty and students in the Computer Aided Drawing class. Labor and a portion of the materials needed to construct the memorial will be donated by members of the various labor unions and local material vendors.
This Illinois FIRST project was initiated by State Rep. Thomas B. Berns, R-Urbana.
Other Illinois FIRST grants announced by Ryan:
- $11,000 to the City of Newman to make improvements to the city hall.
This project was initiated by State Rep. Dale A. Righter, R-Mattoon.
Illinois FIRST funds are not part of the state budget's General Revenue Fund. Recently, lagging tax collections brought on by a slowdown in the national economy and the terrorist attacks of September 11 have forced the governor to order spending cuts in the General Revenue Fund that amount to less than 2 percent of total spending. Illinois FIRST monies are derived from separate accounts in the state budget -- the Road Fund and the Fund for Illinois Future -- as well as through the sale of state bonds.
Press Releases